Truths and Dares
by scullflower
Summary: In which Lily struggles to understand why her friends find it so amusing to watch her squirm in the presence of a certain boy named James Potter.


**A/N: Hi! Thanks for choosing to click on my story! :) Hopefully you like it, because this is the first fanfiction I've ever published. I know this first chapter is crap, and hopefully you'll be able to get through it. BUT I am planning on one day coming back and editing this, because hopefully my writing will improve by the time I finish this story! Enjoy some Jily fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter universe.**

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Lily Evans couldn't believe how much time had flown by. It seemed like only a week ago she was the little eleven year old cowering behind her mother's legs the first time she went to Diagon Alley. Six days ago she saw Hogwarts for the first time, towering above her and her new peers as they gazed in awe of the castle. Five days ago she became friends with her roommate Dorcas Meadowes, bonding over the fact that their older siblings hated them. Four days ago she turned her nose up at the arrogant James Potter when he asked her out for the first time in fourth year. Three days ago when she got her first detention for hexing Mulciber after he called Marlene a filthy-blood traitor. Two days ago when she cut off all communication towards her ex-best friend Severus Snape. And only yesterday when she shook hands with the same James Potter, promising him that they would start anew in their seventh year.

Lily groaned and slammed her head against her desk. She still wasn't quite sure how Potter had convinced her to give him a second chance. Maybe he had slipped something in her drink at breakfast that morning. Would he stoop that low? Lily couldn't be sure. James Potter had been a very confusing topic in Lily's life during sixth year. He had been the same prat as always at the beginning of the year, but after Christmas break he had actually stopped bothering her. At first she had thought it was another prank, and she refused to go near him for at least two weeks. But after a while she had noticed that she hadn't given him a detention in a while, and he that he was cordial and polite to her whenever she entered a room. He had even seemed to have Sirius under control, though Black had slipped up a few times and made an unnecessarily loud comment to James when Lily was present.

But poor Lily was confused on why. Why, in the name of Merlin's pants, did James Potter suddenly start treating her like a normal person? She couldn't help but wonder if it had been his twin who returned in his place after Christmas, and normal James was tied up in some broom cupboard.

Hopefully.

Lily was snapped out of her befuddled state when her mother called her name. "Lils, you said you wanted to go shopping in Diagon Alley today. Are you planning on coming down anytime soon?"

She sighed and rolled out of bed, searching under her bed for another sock to put on. (Why she had only one sock on, she didn't know.) Her eyes purposely skimmed past the large pile of letters under her bed.

"I'll be there in a second, Mum!" Lily called out, humming in triumph when she found her missing sock.

"We'll be in the car, love!"  
Even though Lily was of age and knew how to apparate, she always preferred to travel the Muggle way. Especially during the summer- it still felt like an illegal thing for her use magic outside of school. She scrambled down the stairs while trying to tie her curly hair up into a pony-tail. True to their word, her parents were already in the car.

"Sorry, I was….. sleeping," she said, slamming the car door behind her. Her father chuckled.

"Do you want us to drop you off a few blocks away like last year?" Mr. Evans asked, pulling out of the driveway. Lily winced and nodded sheepishly. He gave her an understanding look in the rearview mirror. "We get it, Lils. It's not safe for Muggles to go into Diagon Alley anymore. Because of the war."

"You said Marlene and Dorcas were going to be there, right?" her mother asked worriedly, glancing back at her youngest daughter.

"Yeah," Lily said reassuringly. "And we'll be careful, Mum, I promise. We won't be staying long, anyway. I'm going to Marlene's after, remember?"

Mrs. Evans nodded and sighed. "Call your father and I the minute you need to, okay?"

* * *

"Chocolate ice cream, please," Lily said kindly to the freckled young girl behind the counter of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"One or two scoops?" the girl asked, opening the glass and glancing up at the redhead.

"One please," Lily hummed before shrieking in fright when she was pummeled from behind with a hug.

"I can't believe you thought you could get away with eating ice cream before we even got here," came a familiar voice. An annoyed Lily whipped around and hugged her friend after smacking her.

"You twat, you made me nearly wet myself," she scolded, hiding a slight smirk as she raised an eyebrow at the very tall Marlene McKinnon.

"Didn't need to hear that, Lils," Dorcas said, shaking her head at the two girls. Lily pulled the blonde into a hug. "I missed you too, Dorcas."

"Ahem."

The freckled girl behind the counter was watching them with an annoyed expression. "Miss, you need to pay for your ice cream before it melts and goes to waste."

Lily raised an eyebrow at the girl and rummaged through her pockets to pull out her two sickles she set aside for ice cream while Marlene and Dorcas began arguing over what was the best flavor.

"Vanilla is boring, Dorcas, get with the program."

"Yeah, but I'd rather not eat strawberry plum nut squash sherbert, which sounds revolting."

"It is not revolting!"

"Are you bonkers?"

"Shove off!"

"Prat."

"Blonde."

"Take that back, McKinnon."

"Take that back, McKinnon."

"Will the two of you shut up?" Lily asked amusedly, glancing at the girl behind the counter, who looked like she wanted to whip her wand out and hex all three of them.

Marlene waved her hand dismissively, stepping up to the girl. "Plum and sherbert, please. One scoop."

Dorcas wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"And a mint chip for the boring one," Marlene added, jerking her head in Dorcas' direction. Lily dragged the blonde to a table outside to keep the two of them from erupting into another conversation.

"I assume you two have been at each other's throats most of the summer?" Lily asked, not paying much attention to her ice cream.

"Yeah, but you can't expect anything less when we're polar opposites and staying in the same house," Dorcas said, sighing. "But ever since her mum got sick and started staying at St. Mungo's, she's always looking for a few buttons to push." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "That's why my parents offered to let her stay this summer. Could you imagine what it would have been like for her to stay home alone with only her sister all summer while her dad worked and her mum was dying?"

Lily was about to answer when the subject of their conversation materialized beside them, grinning as she sat down and handed Dorcas her ice cream. "Legend has it that our Lilyflower got awarded the position of Head Girl this year. Tell us, does this legend have a smidgen of truth?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, it's true." Marlene and Dorcas exchanged glances. "What?"

Marlene simply smiled. "Well, do you know who your counterpart is? Did the letter say?"

Lily watched them suspiciously. "No. It didn't say. But I know who it is."

"W-what? And you're not sending death threats to Dumbledore for daring to give him such a big responsibility?" Marlene sputtered, looking shocked.

"Um… no?" she said, looking somewhat befuddled. For the second time that day, which was annoying. "I didn't think it was that big a deal."

"Lily Anne Evans," her friend said in a horrified tone. "You don't think it's a big deal that James Potter is Head Boy?"

"Oh, let it go, Marley. It clearly doesn't bother her," Dorcas admonished, though she was looking at Lily with a strange glimmer in her eye. "But, uh, Lily, are you, like, okay?"

Lily let out a noise of frustration. "Yes, I'm fine. Merlin's pants, you two are acting terribly odd today."

"We're being odd?" Marlene scoffed. "You're the one who seems pleased that the bane of your existence is the Head Boy this year."

"Good god, am I not allowed to put the past behind me? He and I made up at the end of last school year. And we've been exchanging letters all summer."

An extended silence followed. Dorcas' eyes were wide, her ice cream completely forgotten, while Marlene looked like she might blow up the next thing that made a sound. Lily suddenly felt very afraid.

"You…. 'made up'... with James Potter…. and you completely failed to tell us anything?" Marlene practically screeched. "AND you're writing letters to him? Are you mad?"

"No," Lily said stubbornly. "I'm not mad. I'm completely fine, thank you very much."

"Lily," Dorcas said, a frown on her face. "Why didn't you tell us?"

The redhead scowled at the table. "I don't… I don't know. I wasn't sure what you guys would say."

"You always said you don't care what people think," Dorcas reminded her, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"I know," Lily groaned. "But. You guys. You're my friends. Chicks before pricks, right?"

"I think the original one is more along the lines of 'chicks before dicks', but say what you will," Marlene said, a devious look on her face.

Dorcas and Lily both shushed her, and a mother walking past with her small children glared venomously at them. Marlene didn't look at all apologetic.

"What's with the scheming grin, Marley?"

The brunette simply smirked. "Remember that list of rules we made up in third year?"

The girls sitting across from her simultaneously paled. "Yes.."

"Lily just broke rule number one. 'Never keep a secret from your friends.' Remember the punishments we came up with for breaking the rules?"

Dorcas groaned and Lily rested her head in her hands. "Marlene, we were thirteen when we made that list."

"Doesn't matter."

"I am not doing anything we wrote on that paper," Lily said in a dangerously low tone, frowning at her friend.

"Too bad. We swore on Merlin's chipped tooth that we would always abide by those rules until graduation. Lily, you have to follow through on a dare set forth by Dorcas and I."

"No."

"Yes."

"Marlene, I will hex you."

"I know. But we all know I'm the best defensive dueller out of all three of us."

Damn it, Lily thought. "I hate it when you're right."

"You must lead a hateful life."

"I'm still not doing it."

"Lily, you swore."

"Dorcas, I thought you were on my side!"

"But you swore!"

"Ugh!"

Marlene crowed triumphantly, leaning back in her chair. "What should we make her do, Dor?"

"Nothing too extreme, Marlene," the blonde warned, setting her chin on her hand. "But something good."

They leaned their heads together, whispering and looking as if they were bickering. Typical. Lily continued to scowl at them, tapping her sneakers against the cobblestone patio of the ice cream parlor.

"Okay!" Marlene said enthusiastically, rubbing her hands together. "Our dare-"

"It's actually more of a bet-"

"Shut up, Dorcas, I'm talking-"

"But it is!"

"Shove off, both of you!" Lily interrupted, sighing. "Continue, Marlene."

"You have to get James Potter to kiss you- really kiss you- before Christmas break."

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**Sorry this chapter doesn't have any James and isn't very long. I just wanted to get started! Be sure to review/favorite/follow, because stuff like that is always a big motivation! Next chapter will hopefully be longer and have some James in it. Also, tell me if there are any gaping mistakes in my grammar or plot! **

**scullflower**


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